Phoenix Suns: 10 potential Eric Bledsoe trades
6. Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron James and Eric Bledsoe are homies, they’re both clients of Rich Paul, the Cleveland Cavaliers are extremely thin in the backcourt with Isaiah Thomas on the sidelines and Derrick Rose being made of glass, and this team needs a dependable defender at point guard to have any hope of competing with the Golden State Warriors in the Finals.
It’s not rocket science why the Cavs would want Bledsoe, even if they do already have IT, Rose and Jose Calderon at the point guard spot.
The question is, what kind of draft pick would they be willing to surrender up as they shed unwanted salary like Iman Shumpert or Channing Frye?
Frye is a former fan favorite, useful stretch-big and an expiring contract, and though the Suns would be saddled with Shumpert’s one-way skill-set for two years, it’s the cost of moving Bledsoe. Having a little extra defense behind Devin Booker wouldn’t be the end of the world either.
As for the main asset, the draft pick, the soonest Cleveland can offer its own first-rounder is 2021. Some protections may need to be attached, but that could turn into quite the acquisition depending on what happens with LeBron James’ free agency this summer.
If the Suns are feeling extra bold, they might push for the young power forward Ante Zizic to take Frye’s place in the trade, allowing Cleveland to keep a 3-point marksman for its bench unit:
Unfortunately, that might be a hard sell for the Cavs given how far Bledsoe’s value has fallen and their possible fear of moving young talent if LeBron’s departure plunges the organization back into rebuild mode.
If that’s not an issue though, McDonough could try and swing for the fences with something like this, offering that top-seven protected pick from Miami for Shumpert, Zizic and the once highly coveted Brooklyn Nets pick that’s looking less and less valuable with every game Kenny Atkinson’s squad wins:
Again, that might be a bit of a reach there, but it’s worth a shot to see if Cleveland — a team that could really use Bledsoe’s two-way talents in a series against Golden State — is interested in making an all-in move to keep LeBron home for good.